Nacua the ‘star’ of camp, honing downfield skills

We try not to go daily with training camp injuries, but Nacua has now missed the Rams’ entire slate of Saints sessions. Coach Sean McVay had previously said he would return this week. That still does not suggest anything other than standard summer caution, but it’s of course worth noting. For now there is no reason to alter course when it comes to selecting Nacua in the first round of fantasy drafts.

Nacua is entering the final year of his contract. Atkins writes that it is only a matter of time before “Nacua lands a monstrous extension,” but whether it comes from the Rams or another team, presumably via free agency or a trade, remains a question. Both the team and player reportedly “hope” that Nacua remains a Ram long term, and the team is “encouraged by some of the steps he’s taken this offseason.” The superstar wide receiver still has a civil suit that must be dealt with and the league has not yet clarified whether it intends to suspend him. For now, Nacua is a member of the Rams’ explosive offense and can be treated as a locked-in WR1, albeit with some suspension risk.

Nacua suffered a groin injury nearly a week ago and is still dealing with soreness. McVay said last week that he expects Nacua to return sometime this week, but the starting receiver was not on the field during Monday’s practice. McVay didn’t say which day he expects Nacua to be back, noting that the team prefers to “err on the side of caution” with soft-tissue injuries.

McVay was helpfully forthcoming with information today, telling reporters that Nacua’s absence is specifically due to soreness in his psoas muscle. Nacua does not seem to be at risk of missing any time in the regular season, and should return with more than enough time to ramp up for Week 1. He is deservedly a top-five pick in fantasy drafts.

This is mostly just for bookkeeping purposes, though it’s now been three days since Nacua was able to practice in full. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport has reported Nacua is dealing with “minor soreness,” but “minor soreness” has a way of spiraling when teams aren’t required to actually be honest with their injury reports during training camp. The most important thing is, there has been zero indication Nacua’s Week 1 status is in doubt. We will let you know if that changes.

Nacua left practice with a trainer early on Tuesday. Head coach Sean McVay initially was unsure on what Nacua was dealing with, but Rapoport now reports the 25-year-old is managing groin soreness. The Rams are being cautious with a minor injury but no reason for fantasy managers to fret; Nacua may miss some preseason time but there is no indication he is in danger of missing any regular season games.

Same. We’ll monitor this, but there’s not any actionable advice to hand out until we get a more detailed report. A non-minor Nacua injury, of course, would be stratospheric news in the fantasy community.

Nacua has had a civil lawsuit filed against him for biting a woman and making an “unprovoked antisemtic sentiment.” The star receiver checked in to a luxury treatment center this past offseason. Schefter confirmed that the NFL is still discussing potential discipline for Nacua and Rams LT Alaric Jackson. This probably isn’t something to be overly concerned about in fantasy drafts — we suspect any suspension for Nacua would be short-term — but Schefter believes it’s possible that Nacua is suspended for the Rams opener against the 49ers.

Rapoport said point blank, “Do not expect a Puka Nacua contract extension before the season. Do not.” Nacua is arguably the best receiver in the league, but off-field issues have become a serious concern, to the point that the Rams aren’t interested in signing him to a long-term deal at this moment. Nacua is set to hit free agency next offseason, but the Rams would simply place the franchise tag on him if they don’t have a deal in place before the new league year. The good news is that, according to Rapoport, Nacua is in a better place mentally than he has been in previous training camps. If Nacua can keep his head on straight and make it through the 2026 season without any more incidents, he will become the highest-paid non-quarterback in the league next year.

Entering the final year of his rookie contract, there was some speculation that Nacua would hold out for an extension this offseason. That said, Nacua was present with the team in April for their offseason program, never truly giving any credence to the rumors. The somewhat troubled offseason notwithstanding, Nacua sets up well to return first-round value in fantasy circles as the primary option through the air for the Rams in 2026.